The Pigeon Detectives, The Virgins, Red Light Company @ Newcastle Carling Academy 27/11/08

With a line-up like this - it’s no wonder I trotted down early to the Academy, my aim – to soak up as much of this evening as possible. On meeting my fellow Yorkshire-man-friend this was bound to be a night of beer-guzzling, Pigeon-chanting and general obnoxiousness, and I wasn’t to be disappointed.
Red Light Company opened the night with their brand of chilled-out tunes, sloshing about somewhere between Death Cab and The Manics. Easy on the ear though obviously easier to appreciate if you know the songs – checking out their MySpace should definitely be on your to-do list.
I was particularly excited to see The Virgins, as I had been recommended them by a friend. Supporting The Pigeons for the majority of this tour, there seems to have been a lot of hype around this band, so I was eager to see them in the flesh. As the lead singer shimmied and stomped on stage to what can only be described as ‘funky’ music, the crowd seemed won over. There’s something about this band that I can’t quite put my finger on, maybe it’s the slap bass that seems to underlie most of their songs, or maybe it’s their irresistible melodies and lyrics that mean that I now just can’t seem to stop listening to them.
As expected, the crowd began to get more of a buzz about them, rowdy in anticipation for a rowdy band. The excitement peaks when those five leather-clad lads appear and jump straight into their usual set-starter ‘Romantic Type’. Now safe to say I have seen this band a fair few times, and after seeing such a large variety of their gigs – different venues, from tiny crowds to massive Leeds Fest-type crowds, they still never disappoint me; I find my feet dancing before I even told them to. With lead singer Matt spraying out water from his mouth and swinging his microphone around higher than ever – you know what you’re getting with a Pigeons gig. Old tracks excite the masses as do newer ones such as ‘This Is An Emergency’. However whereas the first album’s tracks impress, the second ones’ don’t so much – as the gig goes on they play lesser known songs that don’t really stand out and aren’t all that necessary. But let’s face it – how can they go wrong with an ‘I’m Not Sorry’ encore?

Review by Marzena Dabrowska